Invisible
by CapAleran2
Summary: Gajeel and Laxus investigate supposedly haunted locations for their YouTube channel, specifically designed for the paranormal enthusiasts. At this particular locale, their significant others join them for their hunt as special guests. But when the lights go out, that's when things get dark. The hunters become the haunted in this Halloween Gajevy one shot.


AN: This is for Halloween 2016, but it's extremely late. I wrote the rest of this on the US election night. Let me tell you, it was a huge CF on Tumblr lol. If you've read my other works on here, then you kinda know my style. If you haven't, please check out my Gajevy fanfictions!

*I do not own any of FairyTail - that's all Hiro Mashima.

* * *

 **Invisible**

 _A Gajevy Oneshot_

 _Halloween Edition_

By CapAleran2

"Gajeel, are you sure we should be here?" Levy asked in apprehension, touching the open vehicle door beside her. She bit her bottom lip and then glanced behind her boyfriend to the very large building they were preparing to investigate.

The old hospital had been abandoned many years prior, left to rot in silence while the world continued on around it. Its tan exterior was still crumbling in places. Vegetation had grown up around walkways, entrances, and windows. Everything looked eerie in the undisturbed blackening sky of night. Silent. Waiting.

"Relax. It's ok, I got permission last week." Gajeel replied casually. He screwed in the tripod legs that would later hold a video camera.

"I know that. I mean, I feel like we shouldn't be doing this, like whatever's in there won't like it."

He let out a breath, his gaze shifting from the tripod to her. "You know the shit we do isn't real." He gave his short girlfriend a level look.

This wasn't the first time he and Laxus had ventured to abandoned or proclaimed haunted sites. All the times they had brought in devices to potentially capture spirits or other entities on camera, they saw and heard nothing. Nothing but empty rooms, small mice and night insects. Now they investigated places for fun, filming for a youtube channel, which Laxus moderated.

The van door slammed on the other side, causing Levy to violently jump before she could reply. Laxus appeared from the van with Lucy behind, smiling. He pulled his girlfriend along with him and knocked Gajeel's arm with his own. "I'm so pumped for tonight!"

"Yea, we need to figure out a plan of action." Gajeel mentioned to the blond man. He set the complete tripod into the duffle bag. "I've heard the basement has a lot of activity."

Laxus smirked. "We'll just send Levy down there to see what she can find."

"Uh excuse me, there is no way I'm going down there!" Levy started loudly. She crossed her arms over her chest.

She watched as Lucy broke away from him and walk around Gajeel to stand beside her. Her long blond hair was draped over the front of her blue jacket. She grabbed a hand held camera from the bag on the seat and checked the battery.

"I love this stuff. I was so excited when Laxus finally asked me to come along!" Lucy cried happily.

Levy huffed, then muttered, "Well, I'm not…"

"It'll be fun, Levy. Just think of it as a huge attraction at an amusement park."

With a chuckle at his girlfriend's nervousness, Gajeel wrapped an arm around her and kissed the top of her head. He handed her a video camera, which she reluctantly took. "I'll be right with ya, babe. You'll be ok."

He shouldered the duffle with the tripods, cameras, and other equipment and followed behind his best friend and the blond woman up the sidewalk, with Levy tightly holding onto his arm. She didn't want to participate in her boyfriend's investigation, even though she knew it wasn't real. Things like ghosts and the unknown terrified her. Looking up at Gajeel's face, she knew it was just another location to him.

Approaching Laxus and Lucy, Gajeel pulled out the key to the padlock anchoring the chain to the handles. Levy quickly moved with him, her head glancing around in all directions. Her brain was playing tricks on her; noises in the dark kickstarted her imagination. She wrapped her hand around his bicep.

"Laxus, get a shot of me opening the door." He casually voiced. He moved Levy away towards Lucy out of view of the video recorder that Laxus held. The bluenette instinctively grabbed Lucy's arm in the darkness. The only light was from the camera's viewfinder. It lit up Laxus' face.

"Alright dude, you're good." The blond replied with a murmur, indicating to his friend to go ahead as he positioned it firmly in his hands.

Standing in front of the building, Gajeel clutched the key in his hand, showing it to the handheld device. He spoke to the camera lens. "I've got the padlock key to the old Mercy Vale Hospital. This place has been empty for several years now. No one has been allowed inside since its closing. There are sections of hallway that are caved in, it's extremely dangerous to venture to those parts. But guess who's gonna?"

He gave a large grin. "Joining Laxus and myself tonight are two people very close to us."

Laxus moved the camera towards the girls. "Our girlfriends, Levy and Lucy." He said.

Lucy waved with smirk as the camera panned over them, while Levy gave a nervous smile. The camera turned to Gajeel, who inserted the key up into the lock and took the lock off. He smiled and looked from the girls to the camera. "May they both survive the night."

"Gajeel, stop!" Levy whined.

"Shh, Levy, they're still filming," Lucy hissed.

Gajeel chuckled and started to remove the chain from the handle. The metal clanked against the side of the door, and he dropped it on the ground next to the sidewalk. With Laxus still holding the camera steady, Gajeel motioned for Levy, who immediately and gladly hopped over to him.

"Is your camera on?"

Levy pressed a button. "Yea."

Gajeel turned on his, along with a voice recorder at the ready. "Alright, let's go."

He walked over the threshold first, with Levy, Lucy, and Laxus following. The blond quietly shut the door behind him. Inside the white vestibule was pitch black, save for the viewfinders glowing. Gajeel stepped forward into the main lobby.

The air was dank, everything was dull, like the color had been stripped from the building. In the center of the lobby was a row of cushioned chairs. The upholstery was ripped open on some and all were covered in a layer of dust and cobwebs. The long, curved reception desk directly across the room stood solid and like the chairs, was covered in dust. A few windows were broken, letting the wind from outside whistle in as it rushed past.

"This place a just a load of joy," Laxus murmured with a little sarcasm. His boots crunched over dry leaves. The sound was unexpectedly loud.

Levy jumped into Gajeel's side. "What was that!?"

"That was me. My bad." The blond apologized, chuckling at Levy's reaction.

"This is creeping me out..." she whispered, laying her head against Gajeel's upper arm. Her free hand wrapped around his bicep again.

"Let's set up a tripod here," he stated, looking at a dark corner. He slowly walked around the row of chairs, his eyes gazing into the dark, scanning the space between the walls and the lot of them. He shook his head. "I don't see or feel anything. It's just an empty room."

Lucy's jacket swooshed as she moved, making a sound with her mouth. "This is one area and we've only just started." She proceeded towards the closed doors that led into another room, pushing open the old, creaking door.

"That's my girl…" Laxus happily growled and immediately went off in the same direction, still filming as he walked. Gajeel led Levy behind the others and soon all four were walking down a large hallway.

Old patient rooms lined the corridor. The dirty floor was littered with leaves from the outside, abandoned bed sheets, trash, and old furniture still left from when it shut down. Gajeel held up this camera to look into the doorways as they slowly made their way through. "Hello!"

His bellow made Levy jump, her fingers dug into his limb. She made a soft noise in reaction to the unexpected shout. "What are you doing?" She whispered.

He looked down at her briefly. "Just talking to the spirits. Letting them know we're here." With his nonchalant tone, she couldn't be sure if it was to keep her calm or if there really were spirits present in the large building like it was a normal thing.

Laxus followed Lucy's form with his video camera as she stepped forward. She spoke to the darkness before her. The hallway seemed to never end. "We're only here for the night. We just want to talk, that's all."

Levy swallowed and waited along with the others for a possible answer. She glanced up above her to see the black haired man's eyes watching the dark beyond Lucy. She could hear his steady breathing. While observing her through the viewfinder, Laxus said, "You ok? What do you feel?"

The blond woman took a shallow breath. Her hand waved in a general direction around her. "I'm ok, but it just got really cold right here." She fought the urge to rub the cold chills running down her arms.

"Really? I don't feel cold." Levy stated. She bit her bottom lip.

Gajeel held up his voice recorder and pushed a button. "Alright, I'm rolling an EVP session. Everyone stay quiet," he commanded. His voice held an edge as he turned to the darkness. "This is a recording device. It will not hurt you, just use whatever energy you have to speak into it."

"Is there anyone around us right now?" Lucy spoke up to ask the first question.

"Do you know why we're here?" Laxus firmly asked. He casually looked into an empty room to his left.

Gajeel lowered the device towards Levy. She quickly shook her head. He shrugged and began to ask his own questions. "You have something to tell us? What's your name?"

They all waited for a moment, then a distant knock could be heard. It wasn't in the hall, but it seemed like it was further down into the dark. Levy stiffened. Gajeel didn't move, only his eyes shot to the left. "Laxus, you here that?"

"I didn't hear anything," Lucy commented, frowning as she turned to the others.

"Yea," Laxus replied. "Ask something else."

There was a moment of silence before a knock came to their ears from down the dark hall.

"Did you make that noise? Do it again."

Everyone held their breath. A faint knock was heard and before anyone could react, there was a louder knock. One that sounded closer. It made Levy squirm in place. She curled her face into Gajeel's jacket. Her breath was shaky as she whispered. "I don't want to be here anymore…"

"Baby, it's fine." He murmured.

She didn't think so. She squirmed beside him. "Gajeel-"

A bang in the next room caused her to gasp and lose her words. The sound was so loud and close to their group that Gajeel started forward, intent on the direction from where they heard it. Laxus ran after him, stopped directly behind his friend inside what would have been a patient room.

"What the fuck was that?" Gajeel growled, holding up his video camera. "If there are people in here fucking with us, I'll call the cops!" He searched the room for people or anything that could have fallen or had made the bang. But the room was empty.

"Are you sure it came from this room?" Lucy asked, standing in the doorway. Levy had pushed her way in between the blond and Laxus.

"Yes. I'm positive."

Laxus confirmed it with a nod of his head. "I know what I heard. I was the closest to it."

Lucy glanced behind her, looking down both directions. "Well. Whatever it is, it's communicating at least. That's what we wanted."

Grunting, the black haired man returned to Levy and led the way further into the hallway. After what just happened from the recorder, Levy was unsure. She didn't want to voice her concern now, especially given that she had just whined on camera again; the whole night was being filmed by Laxus for their youtube channel.

Why couldn't she be brave like Lucy?

"Hold this." Gajeel abruptly presented Levy with his recorder.

The bluenette took it while he pulled out a full spectrum camera from the duffle bag on his shoulder. The still-shot capturing device took photos in infrared and ultraviolet light. Standing in the center of the hall, Gajeel started taking random shots. He hoped that it would catch something else in the room with them. However feeling Levy's death grip on his forearm, maybe it was better if nothing was with them.

Fear was attractive to the invisible.

"You know what's interesting?" Laxus spoke up from the silence, his voice sounding as a shout in the empty building. He lowered his hands to his waist when Lucy laid her head on his shoulder. "I remember reading an article on this place."

"What was it about?" Gajeel replied, still snapping photos of the hall and adjacent rooms.

"A victim of a nearby shooting was rushed here, and soon after the shooter arrived. He found the victim still alive, and pulled out the gun he had smuggled in to finish the job."

Levy's free hand went to her mouth as she gasped at his words. She cringed. "Oh! That is awful!"

"Did he?" Gajeel's eyebrow raised in question. His finger pressed the shutter button.

Laxus nodded. "And three others, not including himself."

A strong breeze passed through the group, strong enough to lift through the girls' hair. The air around them settled cold. Gajeel stiffened as he felt the change in temperature. It was odd. Not a feeling he had never experienced while investigating previous locations. He instinctively put an arm around Levy's side to pull her closer.

He shifted to face Laxus. "Check the rooms, the windows for broken glass. There shouldn't be a draft in here."

Lucy went with him, both started looking in the rooms at the windows both seeing whole windows. A few panes had cracks, but those wouldn't be able to create that large of a gust of air. Laxus returned back to Gajeel first.

"Dude, the windows are all in tact. There's no flowing air anywhere."

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" The tall, dark haired man asked, turning to his friend.

Laxus nodded. "Yep. Let's go."

"We're leaving?" Levy asked hopeful. She glanced between the men.

Gajeel wet his lips and dipped down to the duffel at his feet. Grabbing two grey spirit boxes, he handed one to his fellow man. "You and Lucy head down the left hall at the end of this one, and me and Levy will go right. In an hour, we'll meet back here."

"Why are we splitting up? I don't think that's a good idea." Levy turned to whisper as the other two started down the dark void ahead of them. There was a small whine creeping into her tone. She was scared. It didn't help her calm down to realize the men's reaction to the cold air.

"Isolation is likely to get us more results." Gajeel glanced up at her and considered her for a moment before zipping the bag up. All he saw was her face shape in the dark. "Ideally everyone would go on alone, but I have this feeling…"

"Don't tell me that, I'm already scared!" Levy frantically whispered. She crossed her arms as best as she could while holding the investigative equipment.

Gajeel kept his mouth shut. He couldn't explain the emotion that had overcome him. It was unlike any he had experienced. Part of him was apprehensive to go on with Levy. Not for his sake, but hers. If she got hurt somehow…

He shook his head once to clear his thoughts. "Just stay close to me."

He started down the hall with Levy right beside him, adjusting the duffel bag strap on his shoulder. His eyes were playing tricks on him now that his mind was hyped up from Laxus' story; in the darkness he saw even darker shadows leering, something he hadn't experienced beforehand.

They turned the corner to find another corridor, trash and other odds and ends still strewn about. Light from a window in a room shown faintly on the wall. Gajeel glanced around to find the outside light from the moon coming in. He touched the wall where the light illuminated.

"The fuck," he quickly pulled his hand back. His eyes widened. "That is not good…"

"What? What is it?" Levy breathed, afraid from her boyfriend's apparent apprehension. She followed his finger as he pointed.

"That. Is definitely not good, Levy."

A large pentagram was painted on the cracking wall, the red the same hue as blood. Dried drips stained the edges of the lines. Symbols were painted there as well. The whole scene gave them both the same reaction.

Levy sucked in another shallow breath. Her heartbeat began to quicken. "I thought you said we were the first to enter this place."

He made a sound with his mouth. "We are."

"But why-"

Gajeel stopped her. "The question is how, not why since we are the first investigators in here. Supposedly." He added.

Levy involuntarily swallowed. She watched Gajeel's shape move against the black void that surrounded them. "It could have been the patients that were admitted…"

"Tch. I doubt it."

Levy watched his vague facial features in the dark. "You do?"

"Yea. What hospital staff would allow someone to write on their walls? And in blood? You'd think they'd have taken care of that ugly stain. No one wants to see that."

Levy took another look at the wall. It was uncomfortable to gaze upon. Deep down in her gut, something told her it was very bad. Nausea crept into her stomach and it made her cheeks go warm.

"Come on." Gajeel muttered with a tug from his arm. He started forward, but was stopped when Levy refused to let him leave her side, gripping his arm tightly.

"We should go. We should find the other two and leave and go home. Please." Her eyes pleaded with him.

His eyes watched her form against the black void behind them.

A dark shape -darker than black- moved from one side to the other, making a slight shadow on the wall. There was no other light except from their camera viewfinders. The knowledge of another presence made the hair on his neck and arms stand up.

He shook his head and swiftly dipped down to unzip the duffle he set on the dusty floor. "It's probably just some kids who broke in somewhere trying to be funny. That's not something I would joke about, but they got the desired effect, babe. It's most likely nothing." He mentioned nonchalantly, hoping the small woman beside him wouldn't hear the concern in his tone.

Quickly pulling out the tripod, he mounted a camera onto it, set to record after they left the wing.

"But you said most likely like there's something else you aren't saying." Levy was almost in tears. Incessant fear clung to her now. Her words were coated with it.

He walked to her and cupped her cheek, then bent to kiss her trembling lips. "It's just scare tactics. There's nothing going to hurt you. I promise I'll protect you."

His eyes shifted above her. There was no sign of the pitch dark shadow, but that did not mean it wasn't there. It could have been directly behind Levy, staring him in the face, and he would have been none the wiser.

She weakly nodded against his mouth and let him kiss her once more for reassurance.

He didn't know if what he spoke was true either. Upon laying eyes on the markings on the wall and now knowing of a shadowy figure, he was a little apprehensive to continue the night in investigative mode. His red eyes glanced to Levy's form beside him. She had her arms crossed over her chest as she waited, shifting her weight from one leg to the other.

If something else was in there with them, Gajeel's number one concern was getting her out before anything bad happened. However that's where he was a little confused. He really didn't believe in the supernatural, did he? Was it all just scare tactics as he had voiced?

What about that unmistakable form? Or was his mind playing with him still?

Pressing the button on the device, he touched Levy's arm and hoisted the bag onto his shoulder. They walked cautiously down the hall. He fingered the flashlight in his jacket pocket, but he didn't want to use it just yet. They'd have to feel their way around the obstacles littered around. Their shoes scuffled, making the only sound aside from their breathing.

While she used her hands to feel around a dusty desk, she violently lurched forward, losing her balance. Crying out, she fell face first into a pile of old bed sheets. Gajeel immediately went to her, picking her up around her waist.

"Are you ok?!" He righted her and turned her around to face him. Her hands were to her mouth, and she was stumbling over her words.

"I-I was just w-walking, I just, I just. I don't know w-what-" She patted herself down in a rush in his arms.

He cut off her stuttering. "But are you ok, Levy?"

She nodded quickly, stooping to fetch the fallen video camera. "Y-yea, I'm fine. I just d-don't want that to happen again…"

Gajeel pursed his lips, turning behind him. There was nothing, same as what lay ahead of them. It had to have been what they were all there to investigate. He growled into the darkness. "Whoever did that is a piece of shit! She hasn't done or said anything, I have! You pick on me, not her!"

There was a scuffling sound that echoed from the further end of the hall. It sounded like shoes, as if someone running for them. Before the sound could reach them, it stopped. A rush of air hit them. The cold left chills running down their bodies.

"Gajeel, I really want to leave!" Levy whined, panting as her breath refused to enter her lungs. If she wasn't careful, she could hyperventilate.

"I know, give me a moment," he responded. He quickly took out the voice recorder and held it up. The red flashing light on the side indicated it was on and rolling. He had an idea. He had to try to find out.

"Are you the shooter that killed three people here?" His voice was steady, his tone not really in question. It was more of a command.

Levy tugged on his jacket. "Gajeel, please. What are you doing?"

Her boyfriend ignored her words. His attention was focused on the dark. "Why did you kill yourself afterwards? Didn't want to go to jail? Couldn't live with yourself?"

A sigh beside him breathed into his jacket. "Hurry up, Gajeel."

"Shh." He gave a rough, annoyed grunt and spoke into the device. "That was Levy, not to confuse us in review later."

She clamped her mouth together, knowing if she said anything else, Gajeel would be even more annoyed with her. The dark space gave her the creeps, as if something was watching her. The only thing that calmed her down was the fact that she was physically with stronger male, who would undoubtedly protect her. Waiting impatiently, she stood beside him, glancing every which way into nothing, as far as her eyes could see. Or didn't.

Gajeel huffed after several minutes of silence. "What. Not gonna do anything now that a recorder is out? Like a coward? You were the day you died." He provoked.

A whispered growl was heard by both of them. It was low and menacing.

"Baby, please tell me that was you…" Levy murmured, her hand reaching up to touch Gajeel's side. Her fingers took hold of his clothing in fright.

The man swallowed, his breathing barely steady from the adrenaline and excitement. "Wasn't. There's something."

He held the recording device out further. "Tell me your name. And then we'll leave."

An unexplained voice spoke up. It was quiet, hushed. It seemed like it was far away, yet so close. Gajeel waited several moments to see if there was anything more.

There another voice, this time much louder.

' _...get out...kill…_ '

"Oh my gosh! Gajeel!" Levy cried upon hearing the distinct words. She grabbed her boyfriend with both hands.

"Did you hear what it said!?" He cried, pulling his hand back from the darkness. "It said 'get out' and 'kill'!"

Levy squeeze her eyes shut in plain fear. "I know what it said! I'm right here!"

When she opened her eyes, she saw a dark shadow cross between herself and Gajeel. Instinctively, she let go of the jacket and screamed, hastily backing away from him until she hit the wall with a thud. Her head slammed against the old drywall, cutting off her piercing cry with her tongue. The metallic taste of blood slowly entered her mouth.

"Gajeel?"

She gazed ahead to see him standing still. Eerily still.

"Baby?" She asked again. She touched her fingers to her lips. Even though she couldn't see, she was aware of the blood that coated her fingers. There was a small indent on the side of her tongue where she had accidently bitten it.

The man before her stood, the camera at his side. It wasn't his normal behavior. Levy quickly picked up the camera she had dropped when she hit the wall. Pointing it at him, she adjusted the viewfinder. In the night vision on the screen, he glowed a pale green. She saw no expression on his face as he turned to her.

"Ok Gajeel, it isn't funny. I bit my tongue pretty hard, I'd like to go back now."

He stared at her, his eyebrows firmly set. "No."

She narrowed her eyes. "No? You said we'd leave after we-"

"Shut up, bitch! We're not leaving!" He bellowed angrily. His shout echoed through the hall.

Jumping at his sudden roar, Levy shrank back to the wall. She had never seen him act like this towards her, even when he was livid. Her mouth gaped open as she watched him stalk purposefully in her direction. She mumbled incoherently, trying to think what she should do as he closed the distance between them.

His hand dropped the camera. The device bounced on the hard floor. With his hand free, he proceeded to wrap it around Levy's neck.

Shock settled on her as his grasp began to tighten. "Gajeel! Stop! Stop, it's me! It's Levy!" The video camera fell from her.

She gazed into his empty eyes, unable to shift them away as he began to choke off her air. There was something missing from his red orbs. It was like a major part of his was gone.

Thrashing against his grasp, Levy tried to punch him wherever she could land a hit. "P-Plea-"

She could see dark blue dots begin to enter her vision. They pulsed around her as she tried to focus on escaping the man she would one day marry. She weakly pushed against him. Maybe this was it. He was about to kill her with his bare hands. A tear slid out from the outer corner of her eye. She choked out. "I l-love you… G-Gajeel-"

Her vision was extremely blurry. She thought she saw something change before she closed her eyes. Gajeel's eyes shifted. He stared her down, finally becoming aware of the situation. Icy shock flowed out from his core in a panicked wave. His hand loosened it's death grip completely.

"Oh fuck! Fuck! Levy!" He cried as he rushed to take her into his arms when she began to crumple to the ground. "Wake up! Please, come on!"

He kissed her forehead and then held her so he could see her face. "Levy, are you alright? I'm so sorry!"

Her eyes fluttered open and a squeak escaped her lips. She coughed and sat up in his hold. Her fingers felt her throat. "I'm fine. Are you? I-I think you were just possessed."

Gajeel swallowed. The realization of the events hit him. He could have killed her and he wouldn't have known. Uneasiness settled within him. "Dammit, I'm sorry baby! I would have never-"

Levy shook her head once. "I know. I know. It's ok now." She touched his cheek.

Helping her up, her massive boyfriend held her steady and bent to retrieve their video cameras. He handed hers to her and when she took it, he moved his hand to the back of her head. He touched her to his chest. He kissed her hair. "I really am sorry. It wasn't me doing that."

"It's alright, Gajeel. I know that. Let's just get out of here before it happens again."

He stiffened with a growl. "Like hell it's happening again!"

He took her hand and started down the hall, taking out the mini flashlight. It was one thing to hear things in the dark, but another to be physically touched and possessed by an unseen force. If they were to get out without something more occurring, they needed to see.

"Maybe we caught some evidence of what that was back there." He murmured, glancing down at her.

Levy held up the recording device, using the lit screen to see further in front of her. "I filmed you before you… it was scary. You weren't you. You'll see when we get back."

His eyes briefly closed while he spoke and walked at a quick pace. "I saw a shadow figure earlier."

His girlfriend lurched. Her head snapped up to him. "You didn't tell me that."

"I wasn't sure if my mind was just tricking me. Now I know."

A soft groan followed behind them, causing both to turn in mid stride. Gajeel wrapped his arm around her shoulders to protect her. "Just walk."

He moved the bright flashlight's beam over the halls as they passed. There was a mist forming ahead. Wanting to see what had entered his body in the other corridor, Gajeel turned the light off. Their eyes adjusted to the darkness enough to see an incomplete form take shape several feet from them.

It glided effortlessly from one room to another.

Gajeel briskly stepped forward to follow it, dragging Levy along. They came to some double doors. Levy held up the camera. She saw the hospital signs on the wall beside it. "That's the surgery wing. The operating rooms."

The dark haired man stared down at her. "I think that mist is the shooter from that story."

"Or it could just be one of the people he killed." Levy added hopeful. Maybe their spirits just roamed the building as residual playback. She didn't particularly want to encounter a murderous one.

Gajeel pushed the door open. The heavy door creaked from years of unuse. "I'm thinking it was the shooter that messed with us back there."

"We don't know the full story though." Levy stated, her mind was in full investigative mode now. "I just assumed the victims were mal, like it was an altercation between enemies or a drug deal gone bad. But given what occurred with you…what you did back there to me, a girl, I now think one of the murder victims was a woman. Do you think there was an affair?"

They rounded a corner to see three signs sticking out from the wall, 'OR One, Two, and Three' down the wide walkway to the left.

"How do you figure that?" Gajeel asked curiously.

"Well, since you… um, what you -but not you- attempted back there, maybe the shooter's girlfriend, or wife, was cheating on him, and he found out. In that hall, there was a lot of ill will against me. It was so strong that the spirit successfully enetered you and controlled you. Making you try to, k-kill me.

"So before the murders occurred, maybe the husband tried to kill the man his wife was seeing on the side, and then came here to finish the job after his first attempt failed. And then turned to he because of her deceitful actions. And that's why it affected us. Because we're dating, and it gave the spirits situmlation after so many years of silence." She moved her hand between the two of them as she conversed.

Gajeel nodded slowly as he led them cautiously past the Operating rooms. He shrugged. "Makes sense. But there were three victims. That only accounts for two."

"Right…" Levy's eyes narrowed. She was stuck on the story now.

She watched as Gajeel slowly opened one of the swinging doors. The room was empty. Their footsteps echoed as they entered. "This is where doctors performed surgeries. It's kinda cool."

Gajeel chuckled. "Gihi, starting to understand the thrill of the hunt, are we?"

Levy frowned, rolling her eyes. "No, I still don't like this. But it's pretty interesting to stand where others have stood before for important jobs. To investigate the story behind it all."

"That's what we do, baby." He smiled, showing his teeth. "The supernatural part is just a bonus. Adds to the excitement."

They proceeded to do an EVP session for the next several minutes, but nothing occurred in the live playback. Gajeel took a deep breath. "I want to try to spirit box. Give it ten minutes, we'll head back."

Palming the round device from the bag, he turned it on. White noise erupted from it, echoing throughout the old OR. Gajeel asked the questions Levy had previously produced.

"Were you married? Did your wife have an affair?"

The white noise continued uninterrupted, signaling there were no spirits willing to communicate. He held it, letting his eyes roam around the darkness. Levy then spoke up. "I'm sorry that happened. It wasn't your fault. It was her choice."

A female voice broke through the noise to speak through the box. " _...yes...choice…_ "

"Gajeel…" Levy murmured. She stared at the communication device.

" _...wrong…_ "

Gajeel took a deep breath. It was still the female's voice. A few moments later, a deeper, male's came through.

"... _forgive…_ "

"... _yes…_ "

"... _mine…sad…_ "

Levy's eyes started tearing up. She couldn't help but speak up, her voice thick. "You forgive her for what she did to you, because you love her?"

"... _yes_."

The tears accumulating in her eyes overflowed to her cheeks. She said with a smile, "I'm glad you could reconcile in the end."

The spirit box continued on with its white noise as no more voices came through. Gajeel was about to turn it off when a spirit's growl echoed through. It was loud, forceful, and had a definite male air about it.

" _...no...i loved...her…_ "

Gajeel's eyes widened and he chuckled in disbelief. "You gotta be shitting me. We're listening to a damn undead soap opera."

"Shh." Levy shushed. The newest voice was hard, hurt.

". _..no…no…bang..._ "

There was a loud bang that sounded much like a heavy door slamming shut outside the room. The floor shook under their feet the moment they heard it. Gajeel stalked towards the swinging doors to peek out into the hall. The only doors in the wing were the ones that swung both directions. "The fuck was that?"

Levy held up the camera, glancing up from the viewfinder. "It sort of sounded like a gunshot."

"... _gun..._ "

The spirit box let loose another voice. Both of them stared transfixed at it. The word it chose settled on them and sent chills down their bodies. Gajeel turned it off. He gazed at Levy and stated, "That was the shooter."

"What do you mean?"

"It said 'bang' and 'gun', Lev. It was a different man's voice. The murders were done with a gun. It was the shooter's."

"It could have been the woman's husband. The whole sad situatuion would be motive enough for him to kill her and her lover, then himself. And even that stilldoesn't explain who or what could be the third victim. Laxus said there were four altogether..." Levy replied pointedly. She accidently poked him in the side with her elbow as he turned.

Gajeel put away the box and replaced it with the kinect device. "Either way, we'll find out."

Levy moved to his side to watch him set up the camera. It provides a grey-scale map of the area and any anomalies it detects comes up with a vague, stickman-like quality. A skeletal form that gives a spirit its shape on the screen. To test it, Gajeel pointed it at her.

Her form was grey and inside was a white skeleton; two sticks for arms, two for legs, and one for a torso. The ends were white points. "Wave your arm." He told her.

She complied, and the form within hers did the same thing. Watching through the pale green night vision, they back tracked through the OR doors.

"Which way?"

Gajeel promptly took the lead. "I already told you. We'll head back."

They traversed through the pitch black halls, trying to find their way back to the reception area. Every hall looked the same; white with a wide, tan stripe running in the middle, wall signs at every door and intersecting corridor.

With the kinect held out in front of him, Gajeel walked along confidently. If anything showed up before them, the camera would catch it. Levy quietly kept up with his pace, eyes catching glimpses of the night vision screen. Every corner they turned it showed and no anomalies were detected. No disembodied voices caught their ears.

A sign at the end of a short passageway had directions to certain places. "Hey, the reception desk is this way!" Levy said excitedly. They were almost to the doors that led to their vehicle. She couldn't wait to take a deep breath of the fall air and-

Gajeel stopped her short with his outstretched arm, like a seat belt in a car. She placed her free hand on his arm. "What?"

He nodded to the kinect. "Don't move."

Her eyes fluttered to the screen. Beyond the intersection that would lead them to the reception area, was two stick like figures, telling them that the device sensed two anomalies. The forms began to amble forward in jerky motions. One was smaller than the other. The larger one towered over the small one.

"G-Gajeel…" Levy uttered steadily. Her breath caught in her throat, choking out all other words that could form as she watched the stick forms move closer.

He glanced up and back to the screen, unsure what to do as he had never had the situation present itself. Swallowing down the high concern, he took what breath he could manage. "Run to the main doors. It's to the left through the swinging doors."

"And you're coming too?" Levy asked suddenly, frozen with anticipation.

"Yea, just go. Now."

He pushed at Levy's back and she vaulted onward and watched her glance back as she rounded the corner. There was a growl, similar to what they had heard earlier. The anomalies were appearing larger now as they closed the distance.

Gajeel hurriedly rounded the corner as he followed where his girlfriend had fled. Before he reached the double doors, there was a loud bang very close in resembling a gunshot. It was louder than the one they had heard in the surgical wing.

Bursting through the main lobby doors, Gajeel immediately saw Levy's form by the row of connected chairs. She stood still as he turned to face the still swinging doors. On the kinect screen, the ominous anomalies appeared once again, but they halted as soon as they entered the large foyer.

"Gajeel? Levy? What are you doing?"

"Laxus?" Gajeel demanded, and lowered the camera.

The blond spoke again. "Yea? Who else were you expecting?"

Laxus traveled over to where Gajeel stood. He was close enough to see his friend's vague facial features. "Are you alright? Did ya get spooked?" He gave a laugh.

"You ass," Gajeel spat, slightly embarrassed. "That whole time the anomalies were you two?"

Lucy walked around her own boyfriend to stand beside Levy's. "Anomalies?"

Gajeel -after pushing aside his humiliation- then proceeded to quickly relay recent events with Levy and himself on their own venture through the building, everything from Gajeel's confrontation with a spirit inside him to Levy's theory of which spirits did what. The bluenette stepped in to give detail to parts where he left out information, motioning to the cameras in their hands for extra proof inside that their tales were true.

"So then we made it back here. You two gave us a scare. Especially after having to explore in the dark following that murder story." She stated, smiling even though her tongue hurt.

Laxus, staring dead set into Gajeel's, narrowed his blue eyes. "The story I told you? That isn't real. I thought you knew that."

Gajeel's heart leapt. "What? Please, please tell me you are kidding. Levy was attacked! I was possessed! What do you mean 'it ain't real'?!"

Thoughts of what could have gone horribly wrong raced across his mind. All of those shadow figures, the voices and recordings, even the noises they heard… all of it wasn't real? There was no way all of those were fake. He heard it with his own ears. Felt it within him.

"It was a story I made up to try to scare Levy. That's all." Laxus replied, feeling ganged up on. He glanced between his friends, confusion clear in his stance.

"Then what do you make of these?" Gajeel spat. He pulled out the recorders and rewound them. They stood there and listened to the voices he had captured with the spirit box.

"Oh my gosh…" Lucy breathed while she listened to her friends' recount of the night through the evidence. She touched Laxus' side. "What they caught on tape… are you sure there's not some fact to your story?"

He shook his head. "I thought it wasn't real… it was a news story. But, I would have never imagined there would be supernatural proof. Not even the police knew the whole situation…"

Gajeel pulled Levy's camera from her hands and shoved it into the blond's. "How's this for fucking proof? I almost killed her!"

They all watched the terrifying moments when Levy videotaped Gajeel's possession. The dark haired man closed his eyes and tightened his hand around his girlfriend's waist. Lucy looked at him.

"Do you remember anything?"

"No, I just came to from nothing to see my hand around her neck…"

Laxus abruptly turned, facing away from his friends. "Guys, if it's all true and what Levy suggested happened actually _did_ , then what other paranormal entities are there stuck here?"

The rest of them gazed at the hospital's swaying hallway doors as an extremely loud rumbling shook the floor and a strong breeze billowed past.


End file.
